Poignant Touch
by Lily Duveau
Summary: Richard Castle has 24 hours to live. Multi-chapter story starting after Valkyrie. AR.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This will be told in the perspective of both characters (still in third person), alternating each paragraph, starting with Castle.**

* * *

He is told he has 24 hours to live. Approximately, at least. More or less, 24 hours.

_**Sixteen Hours**_

His fiancée just told him he has 24 hours to live. He simply has no idea what to do. Kate is right beside him, driving the car back to her house. When they first went to DC together she skipped apartments completely, went straight for a house. Wanted something more permanent. She was so excited when she started the job, but any trace of it is wiped off of her eyes now.

She wordlessly turns, flips her head to the left. The drive from her house to her workplace is five minutes, tops, but it feels like an eternity now. When they pull up in the driveway, she clutches at the steering wheel and lowers her head. They kicked her off the case. Too personal to be involved. She gets hourly updates, but she knows they aren't even looking for the antidote. It's either they find the toxin and save thousands, or find the antidote and save his. The first is almost certain, and those hourly updates won't make her heart feel any lighter.

He watches her take her keys out of the ignition, makes her way to the door without a word. She needs a moment, but he doesn't want to disturb her by talking. She wanders around before ending up in the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine. He bought it for her when she started moving her stuff in, and made sure it was the same model as the one in the precinct.

She turns on the machine, hears it buzzing to life. Makes their regulars, placing his on the counter before sitting down. He grabs his and sits next to her. "I'm sorry," she says, her voice hoarse. "For taking the job, for moving here, for not seeing you in six weeks, for dropping those pictures, for you getting kidnapped, for..." _Getting you killed._

"I'm still here, Kate. And I don't plan on going anywhere." He places an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him, her head settling on his chest."It isn't your fault. _I_ came this week. _I_ saw the picture, _I_ didn't give it back, _I_ investigated, and _I_ went into that car with him. None of this is your fault."

"But now you're _dying_, and there isn't anything I can do about it."

_**Fif**_**_teen Hours_**

She goes silent after that, her declaration unsettling. When she finishes her coffee she retreats to the bedroom, shutting the door after herself. He stays back, giving her a moment. She won't stay long, he knows, just needs to unwind for a couple minutes.

When she comes back, he's still in the same place as before, tracing the rim of his cup with his index finger. She's taken the ring off her necklace and put it on her finger, as she usually does when she gets home from work. Castle was curious behind the meaning of her ring on her chain, remembering her saying her mother's ring was there for _the life she lost_.

She sits next to him again, using both her hands to grab one of his. He brings his eyes up to her. "I should call mother and Alexis," he says, already reaching for his phone in his pocket before she stops him.

"You want them to find out from a phone call? We could go back to New York," she says, lowering her hands. "I'm not on the case anymore, it wouldn't be a problem." She stands and he agrees before following, going to their office and to his laptop. They book a flight for two, leaving in a half hour.

_**Thirteen Hours**_

The flight is silent, not a word spoken between them, a chasm opening beneath their feet. The past months haven't been easy on either of their parts, but somehow, they managed. She cancelled and then he did, events that were repeated more than once. He wants to believe that seeing her this weekend was a bad idea, but what he told her was true. He couldn't wait to see her anymore. Ever since they got together last year, before DC, the longest they had gone without seeing or talking to each other was a couple of days. He simply would not wait another week.

6 weeks. They didn't see each other in six weeks. Even though she was ecstatic that he came, she regrets him doing it. If he had stayed one more week in New York, they wouldn't be in this position in the first place. Now, she is angry, exhausted, and crazily in love with a man who might die in less than 21 hours.

21 hours. That's approximately how much time he has if they don't find the antidote. It would be a major understatement to say he was scared. And Kate. Kate was the one who had to be strong for him. But she gets the worst of it. If he dies, it will be in a hospital, full of morphine, while she has to deal with the aftermath of it all.

She won't survive his death, and they both know it. She could lose her mother to murder, her father to alcohol, but losing him would be the final stroke. She simply could not go without him. Losing the man who helped her when she was at her darkest would put her back to her position after her mother died, only so, so much worse.

* * *

**A/N: Like it? Hate it? **

**Your comments are: appreciated, valued, and soon will be begged for! (No, really. Leave a review if you feel like you wanna make my day :)**

**(Really.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alexis knows about Castle being forced into the car. Starting off with Beckett's perspective this chapter (Paragraphs will usually start with** he **or **she**. The ones with **he **are Castle's perspective, and vice versa.**).** Guys thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and follows, because I have no life outside of school and this makes me feel like I actually have friends! (Kidding, about not having friends.) I'll try to fit in an update every week or so, and try to write everyday. BTW anyone else find it cool that the previous chapter was exactly 1k words?**

* * *

_**Twelve Hours**_

When they get off the plane Alexis and Martha are waiting for both of them, holding a sign that says _Kate and Richard Castle_, and she can see Castle's smile light up his face. They discussed it one night after training, if she would take his name. She laughed when he asked her, told him she was a one and done girl.

_Of course I'll take your name,_ she said.

_Or we could both change our last names to Caskett._

He looks over to her and frowns, the realization that if they don't find the antidote, he won't get to call her Kate Castle, ever. Reminds him of all the things they _won't _get to do. Marriage. Kids. And he won't get to walk Alexis up the aisle. Grandchildren. On second thought, maybe Alexis not having children is a good thing.

She walks down the first few steps with him before he runs down and hugs Alexis and Martha. A smile unburdens her face, and she walks slightly faster. Both women offer to take her luggage, but she kindly refuses. It's when Castle complains, that she feels guilty. She got him into this mess, he's carrying most of her luggage, and he has a death sentence in about 20 hours.

He doesn't know how to make any of it better. He flew to DC and got himself infected with a toxin incurable without a stolen antidote, she's blaming herself for it, and he just wishes he knew how to make it better. For both of them. Alexis won't take it well, and her coping mechanisms aren't much better than Kate's used to be.

They lead them to the car, mostly asking the couple why Castle had to leave New York and head back to DC when he just came back. She watches him try to come up with an answer, but they get silence, and the promise of a long conversation at home.

The loft, home. She's said it before, even at the precinct. When she told the boys she was leaving, he'd ask where she wanted to stay the night. She usually came to his place, and before she moved to DC she was practically living there. Most of her clothes were lined up next to his, and he had to make room for her shoes to fit in. Before, he wondered how her clothes could fit, only realizing now it was because half of his things were at her place.

She knows why she wanted a house instead of an apartment when she first moved to DC. When Castle had asked her, she told him she wanted something permanent, and she wasn't lying. What she wanted more was a life outside of work. Not just a relationship, not just some drinks with co-workers, but something else to look forward to. And he mentioned he might want it to.

When he steps into the loft he immediately notices Pi's absence. "So... where is Pi?" He asks, hoping not to evict a hostile reply from Alexis.

"He just went shopping, had to get some more ingredients for something we learned to cook a couple weeks ago. He left before we did, so he might not come in for a while."

"Look Alexis, there's something we have to tell you. And you, Martha." He says, leading Kate closer to him. He covers most of her body with his, as if he's trying to shield her from something inevitable, something he knows she'll get and most certainly does not deserve.

"You okay, dad? I talked to Pi, he said he could sleep downstairs."

"It's not about Pi, Alexis. When I went to DC, I might have gotten a little involved in Kate's case, and forced into that car before it crashed. The driver died before the crash, from a chemical put into the car. I was exposed to it, and they're working on getting the antidote know," he says, holding Kate's hand behind his back, waiting for them to realize, to scream and...

"So what's going to happen to you, dad? And why do they have to _find _an antidote? Did they make the poison? Dad, are you going to be _okay?_" She sputters, her voice becoming more muffled and angry as she speaks.

"Alexis, I'm going to be fine. Kate's team is working on find-"

"Then why is she here? God, why did you leave in the first place?" She yells, turning her head to Kate. "And why did you let him work the case? I thought your job was _classified,_ remember? You couldn't tell dad anything about your cases, wouldn't even ask for a day off every once in a while!"

"Alexis, please. I'm going to be fine."

A silence descends upon them, Kate feeling as though she needs to clear it. Nothing has been easy these past few weeks, especially her relationship with Alexis. It wasn't near perfect before the job offer, but she had been particularly cold. Before Kate has time to think of something to say Alexis is stomping up the stairs, a strained and angry look on her face that screams _leave me alone._

__Martha looks disapprovingly at Rick before speaking. "So, I'm assuming your team in DC is working to find an antidote to this... poison?"

"The only one was stolen along with the toxin, but they are working on it. I'm getting hourly updates," Kate says, just hoping and praying, and god _anything_, so that he won't die.

"Richard, you might want to talk to Alexis before deciding anything else. She's had to deal with enough already," Martha finishes, heading upstairs.

* * *

**A/N: This was written really late, sorry for mistakes, didn't have time to proof read well. (I was tired :( ) OMFG I'm so mad, my sister watched Revenge at 9 on Sunday so I couldn't watch Castle, and it isn't on at 7 in Canada anymore, so I have to watch it Mondays at 10. :( **


End file.
